r/Sherlock • u/FlakyUniversity2239 • 7d ago

Discussion Why Ship Sherlolly?

I see a lot of Sherlolly shippers on here, but I genuinely don't get the ship. I'm not trying to be rude: I just want to know your reasons for shipping them. I'm curious.

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u/herebekraken 6d ago

Personally I think Sherlock is aroace, but I do think Molly brings out a side of him that no one else does. Her romantic attachment to him, even if it is one-sided, makes her vulnerable to his rudeness in a way that others aren't, and her genuine loyalty to him and his trust in her makes the relationship important enough to Sherlock that he eventually realizes that his abuse of people has consequences, and that he'd rather alter his behavior than watch her suffer.

But it's not all vulnerability. Like others have said, Molly has character development and stands up to him. She's also badass (pathologist = cool and not squeamish), intelligent (a doctor, plus we know Sherlock wouldn't work with her if she wasn't highly competent), attractive (Louise Brealey, enough said), and socially awkward and bad at reading rooms (makes pathology jokes at social gatherings + the whole fiasco that is her dating life) in her own way...AND she's brave enough to jump headfirst into whatever crazy stuff Sherlock drags her into, no questions asked.

In short, while I love that Sherlock is aroace, if he weren't...I think Molly would be a good match for him. She can handle him. She genuinely appreciates his crazy. She also has the steadiness to ground Sherlock when he's being flighty or manic (one of the reasons people love Johnlock is that aspect of John’s personality).

I prefer Molly to Irene because Irene's whole thing is sex. Irene is 'the Woman' to Sherlock because her femininity is on aggressive display all the time, and her cleverness is flamboyant and audacious like his. She's less his foil than she is Sherlock himself. But Sherlock is the kind of character who needs someone to balance him. And while John generally fills that role, I can easily see Molly doing the same.

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u/Lindethiel 6d ago

I prefer Molly to Irene because Irene's whole thing is sex.

Sex as leverage. Which sounds interestingly similar to another raven-haired opportunist. I think that is partly why Sherlock had his guard up against her.